Automatic door-closer.



J. NEYER.

AUTOMATIC` DOOR CLOSER.

APPLIGATNN FILED 11111.11. 1914.

Patented Feb. 23; 1915.

We@ @my THE New?L ,fs PETERS Co PwnroeLl'HD.. WASH/NGION D 4 JOSEF NEYER, OF ZURICH, SWITZERLAND.

AUTOMATIC DOOR-CLOSER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

Application filed March 9, 1914. Serial No. 823,449.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEF Nn'nn, a citizen of the Swiss Confederation, residing at Rotbuchstrasse No. 54, Zurich, Switzerland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Door-Closers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures marked thereon, which form a part of this specication.

The present invention relates to an automatic-door-closer adapted for use in connection with any door, and the object in view is to provide a simple, noiseless, and eicient device whereby the door may be entirely closed.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a central section of an automatic door-closer embodying my invention, Fig. 2 is a section on line A-B of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 shows the device in connection with a door.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

l designates a casing having lugs 2, 3 provided with screw holes by means of which the casing 1 may be mounted to the door. In the bottom of casing 1 three vertical pins 4, 5 and 6 are rigidly xed. Pins 5 and 6 support a frame, comprising two parallel plates 7 which are interconnected by bolts 8. Pin 4 engages the bore 9 of an arbor 10 which arbor is rotatably mounted on the pin 4 and is journaled in the plates 7. The arbor 10 projects through a cover 11 of the casing 1, and is held in its position by means of a collar 12 fixed on said arbor 10. Below said frame 7, 8 I provide a spiral spring 13, the inner end of which is fastened to the arbor 10 and the outer to the casing 1. Above the upper plate 7 I fix a toothed gear 14 on said arbor 10, the gear 14 is provided with a neck projecting through an aperture in the upper plate 7. Some consecutive teeth of the gear 14 are broken away forming a space 15 for the purpose explained hereinafter. Above the gear 14 a second toothed gear 16 is loosely mounted on the arbor 10 and having the same diameter and the same pitch as the gear 14. The gear 16 is provided with a slot 17 into which protrudes a pin 18 carried by the gear 14. Pin 18 is placed on a radius of the gear 14 and is positioned at approximately the middle of the space 15.

On the arbor 10 an arm 19 is rigidly xed the free end of which is connected by a link 20 with a plate 21 fixed to the frame of the door, the casing 1 being fixed to the door 38. On the upper plate 7 a yoke 23 is iixed and in the said yoke 23 and the lower plate 7 a shaft 22 is journaled. On shaft 22 a pinion 24 is fixed meshing with the gears 14, 16 and moreover two collars 25, 26. Collar 25is fastened to a ratchet wheel 28 by means of a pin 27, the ratchet wheel being arranged on the shaft 22. Between the ratchet wheel 28 and the collar 26 and carried by the shaft 22 is mounted a worm wheel 29, carrying a pawl 30 which is held in engagement with the ratchet gear 28 by means of a spring 31. The worm wheel 29 drives the worm 32 journaled in bearings 33 which are carried by the bolt 8. On the worm 32 a sleeve 34 is fixed on which a disk 35 is rotatably mounted. Rigidly fixed to the sleeve 34 I arrange an elastic disk 37 abutting against the disk 35. The rotations of the worm are transmitted to the disk 35 by friction. On the disk 35 I `fix several plates 36 for the purpose hereinafter described, said plates being Adisposed at right angles to the plane of rotation of thesaid disk. The casing 1 is filled with a liquid such as oil, and glycerin, for a purpose to be hereinafter set forth.

The device works as follows: If door 38 is opened the arbor 10 is rotated in the casing 1 in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2 and the spring 13 is wound up. Simultaneously the pinion 24 is rotated in a clockwise direction, and thereby rotates the ratchet wheel 28 but the pawl 30 rides loosely over the teeth of the ratchet wheel 28 therefore the worm wheel 29 is idle during the rotation of the ratchet wheel 28. As soon as the door is released, however, the spring 13 uncoils, the gears 14, 24, and 28 are rotated in an opposite direction and the ratchet wheel 28 imparts rotation by means of pawl 30 to the worm wheel 429 which in turn rotates the worm 32 and with it the disk 35. If the resistance of the liquid against the rotation of the disk 35 due to the churning action of the plate 36 exceeds a certain limit the disk 37 will glide over the disk 36 and the door 38 will close slowly according to the amount of resistance offerred to the movement of disk 35. If the door has nearly reached its closing position the resistance against the rotation of the arbor 10 and the door 3S is rapidly diminished as the piece of the pinion 9A enters the space 15 of the gear 14- and are thereby disengaged from the said gear 1/1. The spring 13 now acts on the door 33 with its full force since no resistance is offered to its action and the door is closed and latched. During the last period of the closing movement of the door the pin 18 moves from one end of the slot 1T to the other without rotating the gear 16 and thereby the pinion 2e, the disk 35 remain at rest and no resistance is offered while the door is being swung into the latched position. The upperl gear 16 acting on said pin 18 moves the gear 14 in such a position that the pinion 24 gradually rengages the gear 14: again. The friction drive of the disk 35 prevents any damage to the gears should the door be forcibly slammed.

The speed of the closing door may be varied by varying the tension and number of the plates 36, or I may arrange a screw in the wall of the casing 1 adjacent to the disk 36 which screw forms an obstacle to the flow of the liquid induced by the plates 36.

lIt will be understood that various changes in the form, proportion and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

That I claim is:

1. An automatic door-closer comprising a closed casing adaptedto be fastened to the door, a liquid in said casing, an arbor journaled insaid casing, means for connecting said arbor with the door frame whereby during the opening and closing of the door 'the arbor receives a rotary motion, a spring acting on said arbor, a gear fixed to said arbor, a second gear loosely mounted on said arbor, a pinion meshing said superposed gears, a worm wheel on the shaft of said pinion, a ratchet wheel and pawl mechanism connecting the shaft of said pinion with said worm wheel, a worm meshing with said worm wheel, a disk frictionally connected with said worm, and disposed in said liquid, and plates mounted on said disk and adapted to rotate therewith, said liquid offering resistance to the rotation of said disk through the medium of said plate.

2. An automatic door closer comprising a closed casing adapted to be fastened to the door, a liquid in said casing, an arbor journaled in said casing, means for connecting said arbor with the door frame whereby during the opening and closing of the door the arbor receives a rotary motion, a spring acting on said arbor and adapted to be placed under tension when the door is opened, a gear fixed to said arbor, a second gear loosely mounted on said arbor, a pinion meshing with said superimposed gears, a worm wheel on the shaft of said pinion, a ratchet wheel and pawl mechanism connecting the shaft of said pinion with said .worm wheel, a worm meshing with said worm wheel, and means frictionally connected with said worm and disposed in said liquid said liquid acting on said last mentioned means to retard the rotative movement of said worm.

In testimony whereof l afxmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSEF NEYER.

Witnesses CARL G-UBLER, AUGUsT RUEGG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

`Washington. D. C f 

